Illinois Sen. Barack Obama yesterday assailed President Bush about the economy, charging that administration policy was "so divorced from the reality facing the American people and the American economy that it would be laughable if it weren't so frightening."

The Democratic presidential candidate offered his critique after a town meeting yesterday morning at Community College of Beaver County, his first southwestern Pennsylvania visit of the primary season.

Mr. Obama said Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson had taken "some creative steps" to deal with the burgeoning economic problem, but that Bush administration actions, and inaction, had helped set the stage for it.

"When I saw the president in his press conference, almost lighthearted and joking about some of these issues, I think it did not instill the kind of confidence in the American people, and certainly it didn't instill any confidence in me that the administration is taking the situation seriously," he said. "History will not judge President Bush kindly for his failure to act in a way that could've prevented or alleviated this economic crisis."

"There have been few administrations so out of touch with the concerns and the struggles of working Americans, and so beholden to the lobbyists and special interests who blocked any kind of regulatory oversight of the financial sector."

Mr. Obama cited a tax proposal of his as a potential remedy for the economic squeeze. "I continue to believe that a middle-class tax cut that gets money into the pockets of working Americans is going to be most effective in regenerating the economy -- not a continuation of the same tax cuts that have been going to the top 1 percent for the last several years."

In remarks opening the town hall meeting, Mr. Obama also responded to new criticism from his Democratic rival, New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, on his Iraq war stance. In a speech yesterday in Washington, she had reiterated her contention that he has not acted consistently or effectively concerning the war since a 2002 speech stating his initial opposition.

Mr. Obama defended his record on the war and returned to his ritual denunciation of Mrs. Clinton for having voted to authorize the use of force in Iraq. "The truth is, the judgment of Hillary Clinton and [prospective GOP presidential nominee and Arizona Sen.] John McCain gave President Bush a blank check for war. So I'm not about to allow Senator Clinton to get away with saying this is just about speeches," he said.

"Because of that vote, we have fought a war that has cost us thousands of lives and will cost us a trillion dollars. Because of that vote, our troops have fought tour after tour after tour of duty, and their families have sacrificed so much at home. Because of that vote, we are less safe and less respected at home. It's not just a speech; it's a war that should've never been authorized and should've never been waged."

Mr. Obama was greeted at the Beaver County event by Pennsylvania's Rep. Jason Altmire of McCandless, one of the much-courted Democratic National Convention superdelegates. Mr. Altmire said he was there to listen, and planned no endorsement at least until after the state's April 22 primary.

Dogged by controversy over the incendiary, racially charged remarks of his longtime pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Mr. Obama planned what was described as a major speech today in Philadelphia on race and politics. At yesterday's news conference, he deferred answering several questions about Mr. Wright, saying he would address the issues in more depth today.

In an interview with PBS correspondent Gwen Ifill that was to air last night, he provided a brief preview of today's speech.

"I think it would have been naive for me to think that I could run and end up with quasi-frontrunner status in a presidential election, as potentially the first African-American president, that issues of race wouldn't come up, any more than Senator Clinton could expect that gender issues might not come up," he said. "But, ultimately, I don't think it's useful. I think we've got to talk about it. I think we've got to process it. But we've got to remind ourselves that what we have in common is far more important than what's different, and that if we're going to solve any of these problems, we've got to come together and bridge our differences in ways that we just have not bridged them before."

The Obama campaign was buoyed yesterday by the weekend result of Iowa county caucuses that resulted in a net gain of 10 delegates in his nomination battle with Mrs. Clinton. To put that in perspective, she reaped an advantage of only nine delegates from her big win March 3 in Ohio. According to the unofficial Associated Press tally, Mr. Obama had 1,617 delegates, including 213 superdelegates. Mrs. Clinton had 1,498 delegates, including 249 superdelegates.

Last night, Mr. Obama ventured into the heart of Pennsylvania coal country to speak at the Radisson Lackawanna Station in Scranton. A few dozen people with pro-Hillary signs gathered outside, declaring her a hometown girl for summers she spent at her family's cottage on nearby Lake Winola.

Mr. Obama steered clear of politics as he spoke to 500 members and guests of the Society of Irish Women, a county group begun 10 years ago. It had invited all three presidential hopefuls, but only he accepted.

He told the group that he has an Irish ancestor and joked that he might add an apostrophe to campaign signs: O'bama. "It never hurts to be a little Irish when you're running for president," he said in a brief speech.

Some were glad he kept his talk light, suggesting there wasn't much point in addressing policy among so many Clinton supporters. "Hearing him made me like him a little bit better, but I'm still voting for Hillary," said Pat Ferguson, 75, of Scranton.